Xcellent 25 high school boys basketball rankings

While much of the country has been hard at work in practice, the nation's No. 1 team has already survived a daunting opening two weeks of regular season action.

Marcus (Flower Mound), the Lone Star State's defending Class 5A champion, beat two of the top five teams in its classification last week to win the McDonald's Texas Invitational. The Marauders followed with wins at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest in Duncanville over 4A favorite Yates (Houston) and out-of-state challenger Upper Room Christian Academy (Raleigh, N.C.), led by five-star future North Carolina State guard Rodney Purvis.

Incredibly, the biggest tests are still ahead as top-ranked academy program Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) stands in the way Saturday. Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) and a tough field at the Whataburger Tournament are also lined up in December.

Ten other members of the Xcellent 25 open their season this week, including No. 2 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), No. 3 Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.) and No. 4 Simeon (Chicago, Ill.).

Those looking for programs like Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) and aforementioned Findlay Prep will have to wait until Tuesday, when we debut the Academy Top 10. For more on our decision to roll out separate rankings for traditional high schools (National Federation of State High School Associations-affiliated schools) and independent/academy programs, click here.

Read on for a complete look at this week's national rankings.

Xcellent 25 High School Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard

1. Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) (8-0)
The Marauders will have their hands full Saturday with Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), who will debut at No. 1 in MaxPreps' Academy Top 10 on Tuesday.

2. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) (0-0)
Opens season Monday at Diablo Inferno tournament in Mission Viejo.

3. Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.) (0-0)
Opens season Tuesday vs. Redan (Stone Mountain).

4. Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) (0-0)
Opens season Saturday vs. Hillcrest (Country Club Hills).

5. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) (0-0)
Opens season Dec. 9 vs. Durango (Las Vegas).